Homemade Vanilla Extract

Enjoy using Homemade Vanilla in all your favorite recipes for a rich vanilla taste. Also makes a wonderful gift!

About a month ago, I saw this post from Cheryl-Tidymom about making Homemade vanilla. It reminded me that I’ve always been meaning to do this. I immediately went online and Ordered my Beans.

Then I went to order the bottles. They were reasonably priced. But then I saw the shipping. The shipping was more than the cost of the bottles. I understand the need to package glass well, no one wants a box full of broken glass on their doorstep. It just put the project out of my price range. I proceeded to order the beans and figured I’d get the bottles locally.

After shopping around (4 different stores) I just couldn’t find the smaller bottles I wanted. I did find a few larger bottles that would be good for other projects but no one needs a half gallon of vanilla. Well most people don’t, I could probably use it all in a month without even trying.

Then one night, as I was pouring a glass of wine, it came to me. I’m the only wine drinker in the house (usually) so I buy the mini bottles. Lots of varieties and I don’t have to open a big bottle. Those bottles would be perfect for this! And they’re screw top so no need to worry about spilling. You can get them in glass or plastic (perfect for shipping!) I also tried a few plastic soda bottles but they just didn’t have the “look” I wanted and let’s be honest here-I don’t want to give THAT much of my precious Homemade Vanilla to any one person.

Cleaning the bottles and removing the labels was easy. For the glass bottle, a little soaking in some warm soapy water then peel the label off. I used an SOS pad to get any remaining glue residue. For the plastic bottles, it was a little more tricky but after asking a few of my bloggy friends, Use olive oil to get rid of that pesky residue! Once your bottles are washed and dried, you’re ready to make your vanilla.

Using a sharp knife, cut a slit the length of the vanilla bean pod. Cut the pod in half, then add 6-7 pieces to each bottle. Fill the bottle with your favorite shelf brand Vodka (no need to use the really good stuff) to the neck of your bottle, making sure the beans are fully submerged.

After that, it’s just a waiting game. Store the bottles in a dark cabinet taking them out once a week to shake well. After about 6 weeks, you’ll have amber perfection.

Debbi, the clear version is the just made bottles and wouldn’t provide a vanilla flavor. They are the “before”, Your vanilla is ready to use once you achieve the amber color. If you need the clear vanilla (I know for a white cake you’d want clear) you’d probably need to pick that up as a specialty store. I know both Michaels and Hobby Lobby have one in they baking section.

This is a great idea! I think my parents would be okay with me getting into the liquor cabinet to make this even though I’m underage haha. I also love the ‘homemade vanilla’ sticker you put on the bottles-so cute!

I have a pack of vanilla beans I brought back from Mexico (where I also bought cheap vanilla – which didn’t turn out to be so cheap – another story) and had in mind to make my own vanilla. Now, with your help, I have no excuse! I gave a pack to my daughter and it’s probably still sitting on her shelf as well. I’ll have to snag it back from her along with some of those little wine bottles I gave her!
Is the above recipe for just one bottle?
Thanks. Can’t wait to try it. 🙂

Hi Deb, yes, the recipe is per bottle so just multiply it by however many bottles you have! And yes, get those beans back from your daughter, you can always let her nave a bottle of the finished vanilla!

What a wonderful gift for the holidays! I’ve always meant to try making my own vanilla extract. I think you’ve inspired me to finally give it a go. And those bottles and labels are adorable! Just the perfect little finishing touch to make something special just a little more special.

Another way to get labels and glue residue off: Downy. Depending on the type of paper, you may have to score it some so it’ll seep in, but coat the label with some Downy and let it sit a while. Works better than soapy water IMO. =)

No, don’t scrape out the seed unless you want to use them for another recipe. When you use the vanilla, you may have a few seeds floating around but that will only enhance the vanilla flavor in your recipe.

When you use the extract for baking, the alcohol cooks off so you don’t taste it at all.

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